A biography of gospel singer Sam Cooke chronicles the life of the pioneering African-American musical entrepreneur, from his success in gospel music, to his move into pop music, to his untimely murder at age thirty-three. 25,000 first printing.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Decades after his death, Sam Cooke's thrilling, seductive tenor remains one of the glories of American popular music. His compositions have inspired a multitude of covers, few of which manage to lay a finger on the original versions. And Cooke's vocal mannerisms--the melismatic swooping and yodeling he applied to key phrases--are still audible every time Aaron Neville opens his mouth (not to mention a host of other singers, from Rod Stewart to Aretha Franklin). Clearly, then, it was time for a full-dress biography, and Daniel Wolff has done a superlative job. He traces the singer's transformation from gospel prodigy, who hit the road with the Soul Stirrers at the tender age of 19, to secular star. Endlessly ambitious, Cooke never quite figured out how to juggle his sacred and profane instincts, and Wolff is particularly good on this balancing act, as well as on the racial politics of the music industry.
From Publishers Weekly
An important contribution to the history of pop music in mid-century, this work by freelance journalist Wolff in collaboration with singer Craine, guitarist and bandleader White and music researcher Tenenbaum follows the career of Sam Cooke (born Cook) from boy singer in his father's church choir to his murder in a cheap L.A. motel in 1964. Born in 1931 in the Mississippi Delta region, he and his family migrated to Chicago in the Depression. While still a teenager, he was picked to sing in a prestigious gospel group, the Soul Stirrers, in 1951. Later, he crossed over into secular music, where he had a string of hits, including the blockbuster "You Send Me." Handsome and well bred, he was irresistible to many women, married twice and fathered a number of children out of wedlock. The official version that he was shot by a woman during a fight raised many questions, but the LAPD, according to the authors, viewed Cooke as "just another dead nigger." Here we are offered more speculation about his sad end.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Author most recently of "How Lincoln Learned to Read" (Bloomsbury USA) as well as "4th of July/Asbury Park" (also Bloomsbury), "You Send Me: the Life and Times of Sam Cooke," books in collaboration with photographers Ernest Withers, Danny Lyon, and Eric Meola, as well as two volumes of poetry. Currently producing, with director Jonathan Demme, a documentary called "Right to Return" about New Orleans.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable resource to the musician fan of Sam,
By "lysaparker" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke (Paperback)
There are a couple of reviews included here that criticize Wolff's (et al) biography of Sam Cooke. However, I couldn't have been more pleased with it!As a musician/songwriter/singer, myself, "You Send Me" provided exactly the type of information I wanted to learn about my beloved Sam: how he composed, recorded, released and performed his music. I also enjoyed learning about Sam's background in Clarksdale and Chicago as well as the exhaustive research regarding his time with the QCs and the inimitable Soul Stirrers. My favorite aspect of "You Send Me" is the detail regarding the recording of each song -- Wolff described the musicians on the session, the producers, arrangers and record company personnel - how many takes - how they achieved some of the interesting sounds, etc. But, reading the line-by-line synopsis of "A Change Is Gonna Come" is what really knocked me out. For the first time, I realized that in the first line of the song ("I was born by the river in a little tent"), Sam was referring to being saved in his father's Holiness revival tents down by the river - the line finally made sense to me, after all these years. It took me a good hour to finish those 2 pages - my favorite Sam Cooke song -- I wanted to savor every word. The info provided by Crain, White, Tenenbaum and Sam's former bandmates and label folks is fascinating. Sam's relationship with Barbara, Dee Dee, his children and the other women in his life is his business. I didn't want to delve into Sam's ultra personal life, I wanted to delve into Sam's musical genius and hear a few stories about his gigs, writing, recording and business practices. I wanted to remain a respectful distance away from his family and personal life. Maybe I'm just a true musical fan of his and not a bio reader. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed "You Send Me". I'd like to thank Mr. Wolff for dedicating a large portion of his career to bringing our Sam back to life for us. Sadly, I have not yet finished the book -- I'm about a dozen pages before Sam dies -- I can't bring myself to read it just yet -- it's too painful. I feel if I linger in early 1964 for a while, I can keep Sam alive a little bit longer... Lysa Parker
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sent Me There!,
By
This review is from: You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke (Hardcover)
This was a well researched and written book. I enjoyed it because it was packed full of history on music industry, the Civil Rights Era and The Man (Sam Cooke). This book sent me there. It was so descriptive, that I felt like I was actually there viewing the events as they unfolded.I am a Sam Cooke fan, but I did not know much about him. This book provided me with an in-depth look at the man from a personal and professional standpoint. His life was not picture perfect and his death is still surrounded by too much mystery. I appreciate the author revealing such sensitive info and in such a way that it did not tarnish my image of the singer. This man's life had all the makings for a movie. The book left me not wanting for anything. I walked away full...no questions pending.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bringing It On Home,
By
This review is from: You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke (Paperback)
When I first read this book,I was so entranced that I stayed up all night reading.Sam Cooke had long been my musical idol and many stories about him are a) sketchy or ;b)center around the bizarre circumstances surrounding his death.Granted this book doesn't answer many questions about his cause of death,but it does open up alot of things about his life.It showed a human side to the man behind the voice(fathering many illegitimate children,his shrewed business instincts,the death of his son Vincent,and the heavy drinking before his own death),as well as a detailed account about the genisis of his greatest songs(guitarist Cliff White thought You Send Me was repetitive during the sessions for the song,Wonderful World was a demo which was rushed released by his former record label to cash-in on his RCA success,and A Change Is Gonna Come was inspired by Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind). You Send Me, like the now deleted Man and His Music CD are essential to any Sam Cooke fan,especially when many of todays music stars could never hold a candle to this talent.
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